With the No. 76 overall pick, the New England Patriots select ... Marte Mapu?
The Patriots raised a few eyebrows on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft by taking Mapu, a relatively unheralded linebacker/safety hybrid out of Sacramento State who is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. Our Phil Perry pointed out that Mapu is now Bill Belichick's fourth strong safety, while Tom E. Curran suggested Mapu's pick was a sign that New England didn't love the rest of the draft class.
But what exactly are the Patriots getting in Mapu? For a unique perspective on the 23-year-old linebacker, Perry turned to Cory Yates, the founder of Reel Analytics, a "sports tech and data company" that employs unique tracking data to help measure players' athleticism via video. And Yates is a big fan of Mapu.
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"I think he's an excellent pick," Yates told Perry of Mapu on a new episode of Next Pats. "... I had an opportunity to live scout the kid at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in January, and let me tell you, he passed the eye test. He was actually the first guy that I saw on the field that passed the eye test."
Not only did Mapu impress in person, but his numbers jumped off the page, as well.
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"He big, he's long, and he's rangy. So, that was kind of just the eye test," Yates said. "But then when we peeled the onion back and looked at his data, it corroborated exactly what I saw. First of all, we tapped him out at 19.9 miles per hour max speed in the context of the game. ... We tracked Marte at 19.9, but more importantly, we can put that into context because you go, '19.9, Is that really fast?' The answer is yes.
"So 19.9 for a linebacker, that's in the 83rd percentile of over 15,000 players that we have in our database. At safety, it drops down a little bit to the 79th percentile, but that's still a top quartile. So, not only is he long, has a great frame where he can add weight if need be, but he's also fast, right? So when you combine his size and his speed, we know that he's an explosive player as well."
Mapu wasn't invited to the NFL Combine and couldn't participate in Sacramento State's pro day due to his torn pec, so his athleticism can't be measured by traditional 40-yard dash times or three-cone shuttles. That's where Yates and his team come in, using film of Mapu to highlight an impressive athleticism that should translate to the next level.
"We also track what we call peak momentum force. This is, when he gets the ball carrier, how much momentum and force is he generating? And he's in the top quartile for that as well," Yates said. "So, he's an explosive player. And you actually see that when you turn the tape on as well."
Belichick found a gem from a smaller school three years ago in Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger, and based on what he's seen from Mapu, Yates believes the Sacramento State product could follow a similar trajectory.
"Small school prospect, but boy do I think he offers excellent value," Yates added. "He's going to be Bill Belichick's chess piece. Probably will take a year or two to develop, but I think the upside potential, just based on his athleticism scores, (is) through the roof."
Yates also shared his take on Patriots first-round pick Christian Gonzalez, while Perry answered your post-draft mailbag questions. Subscribe to the Next Pats podcast or watch on YouTube to see the full episode.